Earth Day 2008 is expected to be the biggest yet! From Tokyo to Togo, millions of people around the world will join behind a Call for Climate, our global warming action theme. Hundreds of events are popping up all over the globe and April 22 should be a most memorable Earth Day.

The Cayman Diving Lodge joins with others in asking people to call their government to urge significant and equitable action on climate change.

We remain dedicated in our pledge to offer you a spectacular diving vacation at a resort that is operated each and every day mindful of protecting and preserving our beautiful planet and the stunning natural underwater environment of the Cayman Islands.

It is amazing how much has changed in 40 years.   In times past, when new construction was needed, old debris was often just buried in the ground.  Just as we are commited to a Green construction plan, we are also happy to be cleaning up the mistakes of the past.  During foundation clearing this week, we uncovered a buried cellar full of harmless trash and debris.  These have been recycled and disposed of in a proper fashion mindful of our environment.

We did an ariel site survey last week to get an updated view of the topology of the Cayman Diving Lodge site and our beautiful reef.

In this image, you can see the white sand beach of the resort site, and our protected cove.  The waves are gently breaking on our barrier reefs just off shore.

Below is a closer view of the fenced lot and the turtle grass shallows that meet our private beach.

This image shows a dramatic view of our world class dive sites.  The light patches are soft sand bottoms, and the darker areas are our beautiful fish filled coral reefs and the start of our dramatic wall dives.

This is a SCUBA diver’s heaven.    Pictures and words can not capture the true beauty of our underwater paradise.   If you don’t believe us, come see for yourself! Please contact us for information on our special free Stay & Dive weekend!

As we prepare for ground breaking, the site is staked out and encircled with construction safety fencing.  Most building sites in Cayman use wooden posts and plywood around their projects, but this is a wasteful practice that we chose to avoid.  Our site fence is recycled from a previous job-site on the island.  The fence is re-usable and will continue to have a useful life after the CDL project. 

Quite a construction site, huh? …. and what a view?  Now imagine it from your own private deck, watching the sun set over the horizon.   Its going to be spectacular.

Come visit soon!

Small Engineering Ltd., was recently on site digging more test holes. It looks like they were just trying to build sand castles – but they were doing the final calculations and measurements for the new foundation. The main concrete columns will tie in to the islands bedrock slab- basically attaching the structure to the ‘planet’. The building is designed to withstand a Cat 5 hurricane and have the storm surge wash through the parking basement. Small Engineering Ltd., is a US Green Building Council Member and Sam Small is a LEED Accredited Professional.

Cayman Net News, one of Cayman’s daily papers, spreads the word on the Cayman Diving Lodge with a recent page 2 story.

Story as follows:

“The Cayman Islands Planning Department has given the green light for the reincarnation of the legendary Cayman Diving Lodge, originally founded in the early 70s by Hall of Famer, Bob Soto. The lodge was destroyed beyond repair in 2004 by Hurricane Ivan and had lain dormant while new plans were formed. During those four years tourism worldwide has awoken to the importance of Green Tourism and the attraction of vacations free of eco-guilt. Studies show that, if service and quality remain equal, travellers will now choose the greener option.

Cayman Diving Lodge is registered with the US Green Building Council’s LEED Certification programme. This programme is based on a point system for each ‘Green Ingredient’ of the development, as an example; a minimum of 12.5 percent of the energy needs for the resort will be generated using renewable resources. Over 100 solar panels and a single Helical Vertical Axis Wind Turbine will be used to provide this energy.

Other Points are based on: site selection, alternative transport planning, storm water design, heat island effects, light pollution, water efficiency and reuse, energy performance, indoor air quality plus storage and collection of recyclables. The new Lodge will be partially rebuilt on the old site, but now also includes the adjacent lot which more than doubles the white sand beach frontage. In addition to a restaurant and dive shop, the new resort will also feature an Organic Spa with a roof top garden terrace.

The resort will have 12 hotel style rooms and 12 condominium one-bedroom units. The 12 condominiums are available for sale as vacation homes and rental income investment properties. The project developers are Stephen and Shannon Broadbelt, and Michael Condrey. Architectural Design is by Icon Architecture and the Structural Design is by Small Engineering Ltd.
For more information and updates on this project, visit: www.divelodge.com.

We are excited to announce that we have reached a significant milestone in our pre-sales of the Cayman Diving Lodge beachfront units.    More than 1/3 of our available units are sold, and we have pending negotiations on more than 1/2 of all units.     We expect the remaining units to move quickly as appreciation continues through the busy winter season.   

Please contact our sales department about our pre-construction incentives while offers last.    

From all of us at Cayman Diving Lodge, we wish you the very best this holiday season.    We hope to see you safe and sound in 2008!

And don’t forget your New Year’s resolution to do more traveling to your favorite Caribbean destinations 

With world class diving, accommodations and dining at the new Cayman Diving Lodge, something was missing- A Spa! We are pleased to report recent approvals from the Planning Authorities and have now added this extra amenity to the plans. The Spa will also have a fitness center to complete our wellness services. Now if you have a non-diving Significant other, you can still get to go diving at your favorite dive resort while they enjoy a little pampering in the new Spa. More details on the services will be available soon.

More site works are taking place at the Cayman Diving Lodge in preparation of breaking ground. During the demolition of the old lodge earlier this year, we decided to leave behind the old cistern in case we could include it in some way with the new design. After further inspection of the tank, we decided that it was too old and a structural question mark to build our new hurricane proof lodge on top of it.

Shown in the photo, is the heavy equipment removing the very last of the old lodge before we can start the new construction. Not a bad view for a construction site